Provider Spotlight: Brenda Spencer “My Mother’s Helper”

As a paramedic for the New York City fire department, Brenda Spencer was among the early responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She is proud of her service but like so many of the emergency personnel who worked in lower Manhattan amid dust and smoke, she developed respiratory problems and had to retire about five years ago.

Spencer moved to North Fulton and a couple of years later decided to go into a much safer line of work – running a home child care. Just as she aimed to be the best paramedic possible, she now dedicates herself to providing a superior experience for the six children she cares for. She has two part-time assistants and focuses on teaching age-appropriate skills and concepts.

“I have a yoga teacher that comes on Thursdays and I’m looking into having a foreign language teacher,” she said. “I strive to make my program the best and to provide additional educational opportunities. Quality Care for Children is helping me do that,” said Spencer.

QCC awarded Spencer a grant to cover most of the expenses involved in earning her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. It is a rigorous training program that involves 120 hours of classes in such subjects as creating a safe and stimulating environment, and ways to support children’s physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. Candidates must pass exams, undergo an interview and have a site visit from an expert during what is typically a one-year process.

In addition to the financial support, QCC is helping to ensure Spencer’s success by assigning a technical advisor who visits her home about once a month. So far, Spencer says she has learned a lot through the program. She learned about the scholarship program because she had previously done her licensing orientation through QCC.

Spencer’s child care program is called “My Mother’s Helper,” and it started because she decided to home-school her son after moving to Georgia, she said. “One of my friends wanted her son home-schooled too, and then it spread by word of mouth and was a natural progression,” Spencer said.

Before she was a paramedic, Spencer had worked as a teacher’s assistant at a special needs school in Whitestone, N.Y., where she gained experience with autistic children. Spencer charges $105 a week for ages 3 and up, and $110 for 2-year-olds. She has a waiting list of 12 families who want to switch from other child care providers, she said.

Spencer has been flexible with families who are suffering from job losses or other financial setbacks due to the recession. Two of her children have gone part-time because their parents couldn’t afford full-time care, and another father recently lost his job and is deciding whether to opt for part-time care.

Thanks to support from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, QCC is able to support 150 family child care providers from around the state who desire to earn the CDA credential. It’s just one of the many ways QCC is helping enhance the quality of child care in Georgia.